A  VEHICLE  FOR  THE  INTERNAL  USE  OF  CHLOROFORM.  561 
soft  ductile,  and  malleable  metal,  which  decomposes  water  readily 
below  its  boiling-point  and  oxidises  most  rapidly. — Lond.  Chem. 
News,  Sept  23,  1870. 
A  VEHICLE  FOR  THE  INTERNAL  ADMINISTRATION  OF 
CHLOROFORM. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Medical  Record  : 
The  want  has  been  felt  by  many  physicians  of  a  good  vehicle 
for  the  internal  administration  of  chloroform.  Several  formulae 
have  been  devised  to  meet  this,  but  none,  that  I  have  seen,  do  so 
perfectly.  Some  are  of  difficult  preparation ;  others  contain 
sulphuric  ether,  which  is  objectionable,  and  all  contain  too  little 
chloroform  for  convenience. 
I  have  lately  been  using  a  solution  of  chloroform  in  glycerin, 
which  answers  the  purpose  so  completely  as  to  leave  little  to  be 
desired.  By  a  little  care  in  rubbing  it  up,  one  part  of  chloro- 
form by  bulk  can  be  dissolved  in  three  of  glycerin.  This  solu- 
tion is  perfectly  clear,  is  bland  to  the  taste,  and  has  but  a  slight 
odor  of  chloroform. 
As  glycerin  is  acceptable  to  almost  every  stomach,  it  admits 
of  a  wide  range  of  application.  It  can  be  taken  readily  as  it  is, 
or  can  be  diluted  with  water  to  any  extent,  without  disturbing 
the  solution,  Curiously  enough,  the  addition  of  water  imme- 
diately increases  the  smell  of  chloroform  without  any  precipita- 
tion of  it.  In  preparing  it,  it  is  best  to  take  one  part  of  chloro- 
form with  two  parts  of  glycerin,  add  the  chloroform  very  slowly, 
and  rub  up  carefully.  Then  put  it  in  a  bottle,  and  let  it  stand 
twent3'-four  hours.  A  little  chloroform  will  have  deposited  at 
the  bottom.  Separate  this,  and  rub  it  up  with  the  third  part  of 
glycerin,  then  mix  it  with  the  rest,  and  the  solution  is  complete. 
'  No  further  separation  will  take  place.  Six  ounces  of  glycerin 
with  two  of  chloroform  will  give  seven  fluidounces  of  the  solu- 
tion, so  that  each  fluidrachm  contains  about  seventeen  M.  of 
chloroform. 
From  the  faint  odor  of  the  prepared  solution  I  judge  that  the 
glycerin  protects  it  almost  entirely  from  evaporation,  although 
some  slight  loss  may  occur  while  preparing  it,  which  it  might 
be  well  to  make  allowance  for. 
(36) 
